A tool that removes or emphasises certain frequencies to shape a sound's tone.
A filter is a tool that shapes a sound by removing or reducing certain frequencies while letting others through, and it is one of the most important components in synthesis. A low-pass filter, the most common type, lets low frequencies pass and cuts the highs, making a sound darker and warmer; a high-pass filter does the opposite, thinning it out. The 'cutoff' control sets where the filtering begins, and 'resonance' emphasises frequencies right around that point for a sharper, more vocal effect. Sweeping a filter's cutoff in real time — often driven by an envelope or LFO — is one of the most recognisable and expressive moves in electronic music.
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